Taiwan president says won’t bow to Beijing, calls for talks

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s new president Tsai Ing-wen says her self-ruled island will not bow to Beijing’s pressure and that China should recognize her government’s existence and engage with it in talks, in remarks likely to further anger China.

Tsai, speaking Monday in a National Day address, said that Taiwan would not seek confrontation with China.

Tsai says China should “face up to the reality” of the Taiwanese government’s existence and of the island’s democracy. She says the two sides should “sit down and talk as soon as possible.”

China claims Taiwan is its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Tsai’s election in January upended Beijing’s strategy of using economic inducements to convince Taiwanese that political unification is not only inevitable but also in their best interests.